The 2018 high school football season concludes with the CIF State Championship Games on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

But before the final curtains are raised, and finishing touches of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs and NorCal Championships are applied, unfinished business must first be attended to in the CIF SJS Semi-Final Round Friday, Nov. 23 and Saturday, Nov. 24.

In the top half of the Division-I Final Four bracket, familiar long-standing adversaries, #4 St. Mary’s and #1 Folsom will square-off again Friday Nov. 23 at 7pm. But the bottom half of the D-1 bracket holds the greater attraction and intrigue where the #3 Oak Ridge Trojans battle the #2 undefeated Monterey Trail Mustangs in Elk Grove on Saturday, Nov. 24.

Access Sacramento’s live telecast of this brawl on the Hometown Sports Game of the Week begins at 6:40 p.m. before a 7 p.m. kickoff on Comcast and Consolidated Communications cable channel 17, AT&T U-Verse channel 14, and live on the Internet only from the NFHSnetwork.com.

Eric Cavaliere’s 8-3 Trojans have suffered losses only to Folsom, Del Oro, and Granite Bay — three perennial heavyweights in the viciously-contested Sierra Foothill League; the strongest conference in the entire SJS. Oak Ridge brings a deep, talented, and experienced team into the fray after prevailing 27-9 over a stubborn Turlock squad in their playoff opener.

On the flip side, T.J. Ewing’s 11-0 Mustangs are on a roll, and will meet the Trojan invasion with perhaps the school’s finest team to-date. The Mustangs swept through a weak Metro League slate, then walloped Pitman (Turlock) 63-7 in an opening-round tune-up rout.

This match-up has all the makings of a classic semi-final with two highly skilled quarterbacks leading two well-coached, quality teams in a battle to reach the SJS championship round; a game that should be circled in red in your programming guide, not to be missed.

You almost have to see it to believe it. The Folsom Bulldogs dominated the Oak Ridge Trojans 62-6 showing end of the year playoff form in the opener for the Sierra Foothill League.

Trick plays, stand out rushing and passing, crushing tackles. Coach Kris Richardson’s Bulldogs announced to the rest of the SFL teams they better bring their best efforts for a chance the balance of the season.

Access Sacramento’s Game of the Week Announcers Will James and Jim Dimino call the highlights:

Oak Ridge 4 Matt Jenner passing for only TD

Replays of the full TV game can be seen Tues. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m., Wed. Sept. 19 at 11am and Thurs. Sept. 20 at 3 a.m. on Access Sacramento. Watch Comcast or Consolidated Communications channel 17, AT&T U-verse channel 14 and streaming from AccessSacramento.org and Video-On-Demand on the NFHSnetwork.com

The Game of the Week crew’s next live broadcast is Elk Grove at Sheldon on Fri. Sept. 21 at 7pm.

Will this be the week that top-ranked Folsom is finally challenged by a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section team? However futile the prospects of victory for area opponents may seem, this question has surfaced again; and stretches one’s imagine to seriously entertain the notion of Folsom being defeated. Nevertheless, based on the magnitude of Friday’s Sierra Foothill League rivalry showdown when the #1 Folsom Bulldogs square-off with the #2 Oak Ridge Trojans, the intrigue of this rivalry match-up represents more than mere window dressing.

This high profile game may be seen on Comcast Cable channel 17, Consolidated Communications channel 17, and AT&T U-Verse channel 14. The game will also be streamed live on accesssacramento.org, and on the NFHS Network.

Since their season-opening 14-0 road loss to nationally-ranked De La Salle, the Bulldogs have crushed three opponents including locally- ranked heavyweights, then #4 Jesuit (50-14) and then #8 Antelope (41-0). Last week Folsom blasted highly regarded Southern California powerhouse, Chaminade (West Hills), 70-34. All three games concluded mercifully with a running clock to restrict the measure of damage being inflicted.

Enter undefeated Oak Ridge. The Trojans are rolling after recording routs of three teams from good programs: 56-20 over Lincoln, 42-0 over Vacaville, and last week, 42-13 over Reed of Sparks, Nevada, thus setting the stage for Friday’s showdown which will undoubtedly be preceded by oceans of hype and speculation.

Oak Ridge Head Coach, Eric Cavaliere once again fields another dynamite team. Senior QB, Matt Jenner, is the trigger man for the Trojans’ potent offense averaging 46 ppg. An outstanding leader, Jenner has completed 68% of his passes with six TDs and no interceptions.

Kris Richardson’s Bulldogs have been playing on an entirely different level found somewhere in the upper stratosphere. Despite having been blanked by De La Salle in its opener, Folsom’s high octane offense has been virtually unstoppable since visiting Concord.

Quarterback Kaiden Benett has performed brilliantly. A dynamic double threat, Bennett has led a precision offense that averages 53 ppg., despite the starters being limited to first half playing time.

Folsom’s ground game is excellent, featuring single-back standout, Danyiel Ngata (234 yds., 3 TD). The passing game is another story; an aerial circus so refined, so explosive that it terrorizes opposing secondaries with a sophisticated scheme that showcases a deep and talented receiving corps.

Access Sacramento’s veteran team of announcers, Will James on Play by Play, Jim Dimino with analysis and Lauren Goodman with sideline reports will call the broadcast live.

Come Friday evening, here are some pertinent factors to consider while assessing the degree of competition and speculating the eventual outcome: Folsom will enjoy home field advantage at Prairie City Stadium, Folsom has defeated Oak Ridge the last eleven consecutive meetings, and Oak Ridge is coming off a bye week, well rested, but perhaps not game-sharp.

There you have it, the set-up and prelude to what must be considered the most compelling match-up around the greater Sacramento area. This is the Sierra Foothill League opener for both teams, a collision course that is certain to generate wide spread and far reaching anticipation, countless highlights, and thrilling moments.